By Sarah Turner
LONDON (MarketWatch) -- European shares were mixed on Wednesday, with the auto sector gaining ground but oil and gas firms declining. In the auto sector, Volkswagen (DE:VOW 79.77, +0.67, +0.85%) shares rose 1.2% after it signed a partnership deal with Japanese rival Suzuki. Airline EasyJet (UK:EZJ 365.10, -11.80, -3.13%) was a notable decliner, down 2.6%, after it said that its CEO will leave the firm next June. The U.K. FTSE 100 index rose 0.2% to 5,233.74 ahead of the U.K. government's pre-budget report, while the German DAX index lost 0.1% to 5,685.65 and the French CAC-40 index rose 0.1% to 3,787.36.
